Chris Loehmer Kincaid's Blog, page 18

A Couple of Herds and Some Kind Strangers - Dakota Vacation blog post #13

Yes, I’m still writing about our vacationout west in June. Seems we did way more than I thought we did at the time. Today,I’ll tell you about two wildlife encounters which happened thanks to kind strangers.

First, we were driving along the paved roadof Custer State Park when a car came off of the dirt road to the right and thedriver was waving at us like crazy.

We stopped to listen and he said thatthere were thousands of buffalo back up the road they had just came down.

We thanked them and hung a sharp right.

          After driving about ten minutes, wecame over a ridge and saw maybe twenty buffalo off to the left.  

          Okay, nice to see them, but it wasn’tclose to thousands.     

          Aftera few dozen pictures, we continued and drove over the next hill.      

          Ah ha. This was where the herd of thousandswas grazing. Well, still maybe not thousands, but certainly hundreds. 

       And lots and lots of adorable calves. 

          And this guy. Not sure where he camefrom; he’s just trying to fit in. 

      We finally got through the herd and drove another 10 or 15 minutes to where the road narrowed with hills on both sides, sparse trees sprinkled about. An SUV with Michigan plates was stopped in front of us, looking at something. We couldn’t tell what, but we stopped behind them and just kept looking too.

          I took random pictures up the hillside, hoping my camera would catch what I could not. 

          Eventually, another vehicle came from the other direction and the first folks flagged them down. Hubby crawled out of our Honda at that point and asked what they were looking at. 

            A herd of elk were on the top of the ridge. Knowing now what I was looking for and where, I was able to zoom in on them with my camera and catch them, while hanging out the sunroof. 

          Scrolling back through my previous pictures, yes, I captured them then as well, but pretty out of focus. And does it count if I can’t see what I’m taking pictures of?

Dinosaur Hill - Dakota Vacation blog post #11

DinosaurPark is a quirky attraction in Rapid City. And even though it was free, I mighthave passed on visiting it, except it was less than a mile from the Airbnb wherewe were staying for four days in June.  

Theseven dinosaurs were built in 1936, after fossils of real dinosaurs were foundin the surrounding area. 

Thedinosaurs look cartoonish to us now, but that didn’t keep kids from crawling allover them. Or perhaps that’s why they felt safe doing so. Like any of these creatureswould hurt anyone? 

Therealso have been renovations in the last few years. The dinosaurs have had newpaint jobs, and the trails to get to all of them will be handicap accessible,once they are finished. 

Butthe views from the top, next to the brontosaurus, make the hike worth the visit.    

Dinosaur Hill - Dakota Vacation blog post #12

DinosaurPark is a quirky attraction in Rapid City. And even though it was free, I mighthave passed on visiting it, except it was less than a mile from the Airbnb wherewe were staying for four days in June.  

Theseven dinosaurs were built in 1936, after fossils of real dinosaurs were foundin the surrounding area. 

Thedinosaurs look cartoonish to us now, but that didn’t keep kids from crawling allover them. Or perhaps that’s why they felt safe doing so. Like any of these creatureswould hurt anyone? 

Therealso have been renovations in the last few years. The dinosaurs have had newpaint jobs, and the trails to get to all of them will be handicap accessible,once they are finished. 

Butthe views from the top, next to the brontosaurus, make the hike worth the visit.    

Do Good – Dakota Vacation blog post #10

“Remember to observe the Sabbath day bykeeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but theseventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God.” (Exodus20:8-10, New Living Translation).

TheSaturday night we spent in Rapid City, South Dakota, we visited the Chapel inthe Hills late in the day, planning to attend the 7:30 pm service.

Thechapel is built in the style of an original stave church (in Norwegian,"stavkirke") and is an exact replica of the famous Borgund stavkirke,of Laerdal, Norway.

Ialready shared the two prayer trails that I walked through. Also on the groundswas a log cabin built by a Norwegian immigrant Edward Nielsen in 1876. 

Insidewere many items which would have been found in a Scandinavian home at the time.  

Lenaand Ole were standing watch outside, of course.

                     

Alsoon the grounds is an authentic grass roofed store house, called a stabbur. Itwas built in Norway and shipped to Rapid City where it was reassembled. It nowserves as a gift shop of Scandinavian merchandise and crafts. 

 

Butthe beautiful stave church is still the showpiece.

 

Andfor us that night, it was also about the service we attended. Though it was Saturdaynight, the pastor spoke on the meaning of the third commandment. 

Then Jesus went over to their synagogue, wherehe noticed a man with a deformed hand. The Pharisees asked Jesus, “Does the lawpermit a person to work by healing on the Sabbath?” (They were hoping he wouldsay yes, so they could bring charges against him.)

And he answered, “If you had a sheep thatfell into a well on the Sabbath, wouldn’t you work to pull it out? Of courseyou would. And how much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Yes, the lawpermits a person to do good on the Sabbath.”

Then he said to the man, “Hold out yourhand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored, just like the otherone! (Matthew 12:9-13, New Living Translation)  

So, don’t get bogged down in technicalities. Yes, always remember the Day of the Lord, but also always do good. 

City of Presidents – Dakota Vacation blog post #9

 

Forfour days of our trip to the Dakotas in June, we stayed at an Airbnb in RapidCity. We were only about four blocks from downtown, so the morning of our firstfull day in town, we walked there to see why Rapid City is called the City ofPresidents. 

Alonga 10-block loop of downtown sidewalks, life-sized bronze statues of past USpresidents stand and sit. 

In1999, local businessman Don Perdue was inspired by a temporarily relocated statueof Abraham Lincoln outside one of the downtown hotels. Random people weretaking notice of the statue, talking to Lincoln as if he were a real person. Perduewondered if all the presidents would get such a reaction. 

Witha lot of convincing, a lot of fundraising, and hours of research, the projectgot off the ground later that year.

Thefirst four statues of George Washington, John Adams, Ronald Reagan, and GeorgeH.W. Bush were unveiled in 2000. 

Overthe next ten years, local artists worked to create and place all 40 of theremaining statues.

And,yes, more presidents will be added as they finish their terms in office. 

I’msorry that I couldn’t post pictures of all of them here. You’ll have to go see themfor yourself.

Can you name all the ones I've shared here? 

bad god's tower – Dakota Vacation blog post #8

 Without wise leadership, a nation is introuble; but with good counselors there is safety. (Proverbs 11:14, LivingBible)

I usually try to write an inspirationalpost on Sundays, but today I only have the verse above. We read it in my Fridaymorning Bible Study, and we could only shake our heads. God sure knows what He’stalking about.

Anyway, I wanted to keep sharing with you about our vacation to the Dakotas. Not much I can say about Devil’s Tower.

Except that we had to wait in line in ourcar for 45 minutes to get into the parking lot.

And you wouldn’t find me ever climbing upthe side of it.  

Also, the name that the area NativeAmerican’s gave it was Bear Lodge. One of the early white explorers claimedthat they called it bad god’s tower. It’s unsure if they had just gotten thewrong translation or they just wanted to call it something else. But from badgod’s tower, the white man came up with Devil’s Tower. 

I’m just glad that I serve the good God –the only God.  

Unexpected Adventures in Driving - Dakota Vacation blog post #7

 Day 3 on the road, and in the middle ofnowhere, we had the most fun.

First thing in the morning, after leavingour motel in Bowman, North Dakota, we ran into road construction.

The flagman who stopped us with his bigsign was hanging out, listening to his own tunes. Finally, a car with lights oncame through the construction, leading all the vehicles that had been waitingon the other side.

The woman driving stopped her car by theflagman, waved the other vehicles on, and ran to the port-a-potty.

When she came out, the first flagmangrabbed his roll of toilet paper and ran into the outhouse while the womanstood with his "stop" sign. When the guy came out, he struggled toput his yellow vest on over this coat. He might have been Native American andwas wearing some kind of skirt over his jeans and shirt, and he couldn't getthe vest over it all.

         Leaving him to struggle, the woman jumped in her lead car. When she had turnedher car around, we read the sign on the back of her car. "Pilot Car.Follow me." The guy turned his sign around telling us to go "SLOW." And so we finally took off after the pilot car.

I can't describe how hysterical the wholething was. You had to be there.

Ournext stop was the tiny town of Buffalo, South Dakota, to stretch and go potty (theroad crew had inspired us). We stopped at the Conoco at the far end of thevillage, as it was the only promising business.

          Well, it was obviously the place to be, as not only did it offer gas andsnacks, but there was also a shower in both the men's and women's restrooms anda small room with "CASINO" in neon lights above the door. Inside, itlooked like there were maybe four slot machines, along with storage for theconvenience store.

         We had already seen a pheasant and a mule deer in the fields along the road.Next, we saw some buffalo in a pasture with some beef cattle, and later a fewdifferent mule deer, that mule deer fawn I shared previously, and lots of pronghornantelope.

          Our goal, however, was Devil's Tower, and I wanted to cross into Montana, notonly to say we were there, but also because it was the shortest route. Right,Chris, how did that work for you?

         Google Maps took us from Buffalo to Camp Crook. Just past that, the road turnedsouth and followed the Montana border to the town of Capital, supposedly.

          When the road turned to gravel justoutside the one-horse town of Camp Crook (what a perfect name for it), thereseemed to be a lot of nothing.

         That dirt road turned south after a little bit, but it just seemed so desolate.Of course, by then, I had no cell coverage to check the route, and I could onlysee what the satellite was sending me for a map.

         After crossing a cattle guard, it felt like we were driving down somemillionaire rancher's private drive, so we turned around, backtracked to CampCrook, and took the road south from there, hoping to stumble on Capital,Montana.

          We did, but the road continued to be gravel until we got to Albion, Montana.According to Google Maps, that would cover 35 miles and take us 47 minutes. I'mnot sure how long it took, and even though it felt like forever, the scenerywas beautiful. We crossed at least a half dozen cattle guards, passed herds ofcattle, drove through a herd of cattle that didn't want to get off the road,and saw lots of wildlife. And Hubby and I had long and deep conversations. 

          We had traversed the Enchanted Highway earlier in the trip, but this route hadbeen the true enchanted highway for me. 

Probably not so enchanting for our poor vehicle though. 

Teddy’s Park – Dakota Vacation blog post #6

I'dlove to go down a long rabbit hole on this post, but I'll leave it to you topursue further information on the 26th president of the United States. 

TheodoreRoosevelt was elected vice president under William McKinley in 1900. This wouldbe McKinley's second term, but his first vice president had passed away theyear before. After six months as vice president, Roosevelt became the 26thpresident in September of 1901 after President McKinley was assassinated.

Duringhis two terms in office, Roosevelt established the United States ForestService, five National Parks, 18 new U.S. National Monuments, 51 bird reserves,four game preserves, and 150 National Forests.

Beforegoing into politics, though, Teddy owned a ranch in the Dakotas. As a child, hehad been in ill health, suffering from uncontrollable asthma, but he made upfor it by working to be as fit as he could. When he was in his twenties, heheaded to the area around Medora, North Dakota, to hunt buffalo. He fell inlove with the land and invested in a ranch there. 

In1935, sixteen years after his death, the area near his ranch was designated theRoosevelt Recreation Demonstration Area. In 1978, many more acres were added,and the area became known as Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

It'sas beautiful a place as I have ever visited. I hope to return one day toexplore it further.

God has got this. Keep the Faith

Lord, have mercy on us.We have put our hope in you. Protect us day by day and save us in times oftrouble. When you fight for us, nations run away from the noise of battle. (Isaiah33:2-3, Good News Translation)

A couple things on my mind this week. We celebratedthe Fourth of July – Independence Day. I listen to the news and wonder if everyoneknows what that means anymore.

Seek good and not evil – andlive! You talk about God, the God-of-the-Angel-Armies, being your best friend. Well,live like it, and maybe it will happen. Hate evil and love good, then work it out inthe public square. Maybe God, the God-of-the-Angel-Armies, will notice yourremnant and be gracious. (Amos 5:14-15, The Message)

When we were in South Dakota the first part of June, Hubbyand I walked the streets of Rapid City, where there was a president on eachstreet corner.

Finally, all of youshould be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothersand sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. Don’t repay evil forevil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay themback with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grantyou his blessing. For the Scriptures say:

“If you want to enjoylife and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lipsfrom telling lies. Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and workto maintain it. The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and hisears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those whodo evil.” (1 Peter 3:8-12, New Living Translation)

And what are we to do with all the nonsensesurrounding who might be elected president in four months? As a friend told meearlier this week, God has already got it figured out. We have to trust Him. 

And now, dear brothersand sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable,and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that areexcellent and worthy of praise. (Philippians 4:8, New Living Translation)

Keep the faith. 

 

All God's Creatures - Dakota Vacation blog post #5

I’dbeen blogging about our vacation to the Dakotas in chronological order, but Ithought I needed to veer off the tracks for this one. We saw such a long listof wildlife on this trip that I couldn’t wait any longer to share them all.

Atour first stop at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the group of people next tous at this overlook kept talking about the lone buffalo they saw. I took apicture of the area where they described him as standing, but I never did seehim.

Untillater, when I cropped the picture on my laptop. We saw lots more buffalo overthe next couple of days, so I’ll bore you with more pictures of them later. 

Thefirst wildlife we saw, though, was actually earlier in the day. We were soexcited to see pronghorn antelope out in a field. Little did we know we wouldsee dozens more.

Samewith prairie dogs.

We saw a fair number of mule deer too.

At first I thought this was a white-tailed deer because her coloring was like the ones we have back home and the mule deer we’d seen were so grey. But look at those ears.

Here is the white-tailed deer we saw. Don’t know why I couldn’t get her in focus. Probably coz my camera didn’t care because I’ve taken hundreds of pictures of these deer in my own backyard.

A rabbit. We have a half-tame rabbit in my yard at home too. 

A stupid turkey. Again, like, I never see them at home. But I’m counting everyone here.

Canadian geese. About the last place I’d expect to see a pair of them. 

Fish in a stream. I’m thinking brook trout.

A turtle. Again, not that I was looking for one.

And here are my most prized finds. Fourth most exciting sighting – feral horses in Theodore Roosevelt Park.

In third place, a somewhat mangy (and radio-collared) bighorn sheep along the side of the road.

Sweet number two is this tiny mule deer fawn. We’d just seen a doe running away from the road and didn’t think too much of it. Then we drove past something brown in the ditch. I told Hubby to slowly back up and there was the precious little baby. 

Number one best find. Driving on a dirt road in Custer State Park, a vehicle was stopped ahead of us, definitely looking at something. So, just like the first picture of the buffalo, I started snapping pictures of I didn’t know what. I did capture them, but it was too blurry when zoomed in.

We finally asked the people what they were looking at. And once they told us what we were looking for and where, I was able to zoom in my camera and capture the beauties.

 Never thought we’d see any elk. We also saw a muskrat the first day and a pheasant on another day. Oh, and Hubby reminded me that we saw vultures circling one day. But I'm not going to count the robins and other common birds we saw. 

That makes – what? – 16 different species? Not bad, not bad at all.